Usnea krogiana

Usnea krogiana is a species of beard lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is characterized by its shrubby, rigid growth form reaching 2–8 cm in length, a distinctive jet-black basal trunk with thin ring-like cracks, an extremely thick central axis (50–80% of branch diameter), small dot-like reproductive structures (soralia), and the presence of usnic acid in its outer layer and stictic acid group compounds in its inner layer. The lichen is primarily found in Macaronesia (the Azores and Canary Islands) at elevations between 280 and 1400 metres, has been collected in the West Indies, and was more recently discovered in São Tomé and Príncipe in continental Africa. It typically grows on native trees in cloud forests, on isolated trees in pastures, along roadsides, and occasionally on rock boulders....read more on Wikipedia.